Taipei, May 17 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian lauded Saturday the contributions made by volunteers in the fight against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
Three days before Taiwan Volunteer's Day, the president said in his weekly televised broadcast that he was really touched when he saw a group of volunteers offering to work at the Taipei Municipal Hoping Hospital in April when that hospital was sealed off because of the transmission of SARS among its medical workers.
The volunteers who rushed in where ordinary people feared to tread boosted public confidence in overcoming the disease and epitomized "the kindheartedness of Taiwanese, " he said. "It was this spirit that helped our ancestors to immigrate and settle on the island," said the president.
Volunteers also played a vital role in the reconstruction of the area ravaged by the earthquake of Sept. 21, 1999.
Describing volunteerism as a valuable asset of the country, Chen said he has set aside May 20, the day of his 2000 inauguration, as national volunteer's day to underscore the importance of mutual assistance.
He urged everyone in the country to offer some of his or her time to serve society as a volunteer, "just as their ancestors have done." He did not elaborate.